Kenny Wong Sang Yap 's Family Blog: March 2010

     Day 1 Hanoi -14th March 2010
   LCCT airport at 4.30 am for check in
   departure time at 6.30 am and expect to reach Hanoi at 8.30 am
   (Hanoi's time late by 1 hour) -flight time about 3 hours +

The Van to pick us up to Hanoi city
the journey from the Airport to Hanoi city about an hour...

The first Hanoi City Tour

Literature Temple , the first university in Vietnam in 16th Century ..

The Vietnam primary school also conduct motivation course

for the kids in the Literature Temple

. a place to encourage and motivate the kids to excel in their study....

This boy caught my attention when I was shooting ......he look so cute :)

The little water puppet.........

Inside the Temple...the statue of academic excellent..

the prayer will granted with good academic performance....good luck...good health......

Sam Yew and Sim Yang claiming up the oldest tree next to the temple...

LUNCH TIME....

We walk to a restaurant in the old Quarter for lunch...

some pictures were taken outside the Restaurant

THE MUSEUM

I expect a very dry and boring place to visit....I WAS WRONG..

the Museum was very well organised , clean and lighted ......

We proceed to the WATER PUPPET SHOW.......

Everyone of us were fully alert and cheerful before the show started..............

The light off.... we heard the DONG , DONG ..CHANG CHANG

...so colourful ...

They start singing.....something that we don't understand and wondering what was going on ?

I was enjoying and photo shooting the show....suddenly I realised my family member sitting next

to me were totally silent.....I turn my Camera to their direction...

and I caught my wife and my kids were

ZZZZZZZZZZ......ZZZZZZZZZZ

I think they must be very tired and

PAID to sleep in this theatre ...

After fully " Charged " for an hour...they watch the ending of the Puppet show ...

We still have plenty of time before our dinner , we walked along the lake area..

We wanted to try the Vietnam coffee ....our Tour Guide , Miss Ann suggested that

we should try for something difference...she brought us to this coffee House....

They blended the coffee with egg..its taste great...while enjoying the coffee

my family started the Card games......and I met a small group of youngster and we

talk about photography...they are using Canon 50D and I proudly shown

them my Canon 7D.....

After the coffee.....we continued our food exploration.......

We stop at this little road side stall selling " Sticky Rice " with varieties of ingredient...

We requested all ingredient in ONE BOWL....

Its taste YUMMY....( We were a bit hungry....every thing also GOOD :)

walking........OLD QUARTER...

We found another interesting stall....We love it.....

The current trend......sitting on the small chair with small table along the road side

It just like coffee house along the road side......

The pineapple look good BUT not the taste of fruit...

AT LAST

We reached the Al Frescos Restaurant for dinner...The foods were very good especially the

Pork Rib........

9.30 PM at Hanoi Train Station

Ready to board the Train to Lao Cai .....

6 Berth Cabin in The Oriental Train.....

The Train Journey to Lao Cai was BAD....

We were rocking and shaking all night long...............

We did not sleep well. :( but that was a good experience

Day 2 LAO CAI , SAPA
15th March 2010 6.30 am

LOOK OUT FROM THE TRAIN.......

The Lao Cai station
.

We continue our journey from Lao Chai to Sapa

1 Hour + to reach Sapa

BREAKFAST .....

Our Tour Guide , Mr Dang Anh Ther ( We call him Tay ) arranged our luggages

in Royal View Hotel in Sapa ...

We repacked our clothing and prepare for the tracking to Ta Van Village for our HOMESTAY

After 20 minutes walking ...

I captured the Sapa Town view from a distance

   We noticed some local people were following our tracking
   our tour guide asked us to ignore them , they were trying to be friendly with us and
   ask some simple question in "broken" English...after all they were trying to sell some local handicraft.......

The Local people started their cultivation....

The paddy field were not as colourful as I expected...

Very difficult to find a nice view and combination of colour for my photography collection

I was told that the best time for "golden" paddy field will be in summer ( Aug /Sept)

Half way ............

Super View to the Villages in the valley....

Tracking for about 3.5 km....I call a break and rest in one of the stall along the the road

10 minutes later ...we started our journey

Sim Yang never stop disturbing his sister , Lisien

The Kids we met along the way....

The Homestay with Tay Family...

Our Bed Room....

5 of us slept in a row.....

Refreshment before dinner...

Preparing Dinner.....

What we have for Dinner ?

We brought 2 canned food along from Malaysia...guess what ?

CURRY CHICKEN loh .....How they cook the curry chicken for us ?

The chief just put our canned food into the hot water and boiled it......

We were just too tired for the day activities

we went to bed quite early......

Day 3 16th March 2010

6 am ...woke up early and hope to Capture the Sun Rise....

The weather was quite cold and foggy , not able to find beautiful sky....

BREAKFAST in HOMESTAY

Tracking from Ta Van -Giang Ta Chai (10 km )

My family member started the tracking at 9 am , I decided to skip the tracking because

of the rough terrain.....an easy way , I hired a Motorcycle to fetch me to the exit of

their tracking route ...They took about 3 hours to reach the exit

This is the mountain range that my family going through ...

from middle Right to the end of Left ...

My wife , Cathy with the help of the Tour Guide and the Local people

to extend the appreciation of helping , Cathy bought some

handicraft from her.....

Cathy took a stick from the local.....

.......I reached the exit point by motorcycle within 15 minutes

there is a "Motorcycle" station that offer transport to any places in Sapa..

the fare is subject to negotiation....but be careful

Pictures taken around the exit point...

Kids from the near by school.....

Feeling hungry ...

I ordered a cup of coffee and a bowl of noddle from the stall at the exit point

LUNCH

Royal View Hotel

After lunch , we immediately check into the Hotel and take a good rest...

3.30 pm ... we track to Cat Cat village.....

Dinner at Red Dao Restaurant

a compliment dinner from our Tour Agent from Hanoi ,

Thank you Miss Nancy Hoa of

DH TRAVEL AND TRADING Co ,LTD

Walking around SAPA town after dinner...

DAY 4

17th March 2010

After breakfast ,at 8 am we packed our luggages and started our journey from Sapa to

CAO SON MARKET

This market full of montagnards* from the surrounding villages

They dress their most colourful costumes to trade .They either exchange goods or sell

their self made souvenirs................................

*(a member of a dark-skinned people of mixed ethnic origins inhabiting

the highland areas of Vietnam )

The scenery along the way to the market.....

We took about 2 hours to reach the market ...the driver speed all the way

from Sapa , otherwise we will be late for the market..

We should leave from SAPA at 7 am instead of 8 am..

Here are the colourful people which look best for photography..

Trading place........

Look at the pork that sold in the market...the layer of FAT..and they

claimed that pork test best with the FAT...I wonder ?..

The modern technology also available..the lady with Hand phone..

Most of the men were found drinking and chatting in the little wooden house...

An hour later

We moved out from the market and Heading Lao Chai ...

We miss a lot of nice scenery , our friendly tour guide decided to stop some

nice spot to view the Valley......

The local kids need to climb up from the valley below and walk to

the school everyday .....

Another spot we stop...

Half way Lao Chai , we stop here for lunch....

the restaurant need 20 minutes to prepare for our lunch

My wife and I decided to explore the town..

Reached Lao Chai ....visit the boarder between Vietnam and China

Market at Lao Chai...

9 pm to LAO CAI Train Station for Hanoi....

ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......
11.pm My son , Sam Yew complained stomach pain ..vomiting and purging
I did not sleep well.......

DAY 5 18th March 2010

We arrived at Hanoi station at about 5.30 am
The tour guide pick us up and took us to a restaurant for breakfast..
the breakfast were well presented but I lost my appetite
and tired due to sleepless night in the train....

We immediately sent him to a private Hospital and was confirmed
due to food poisoning and Rehydration.
Intravenous treatment was required
Without hesitating I asked the doctor to proceed the treatment..
and that treatment cost me US$ 517.67 ( Rm 1,700)
.....when I contacted my Malaysia insurance agent and was very
sadly informed that my medical insurance did not cover the illness
because I bought under " Regional Plan" and not "international Plan "
I was cheated and misrepresented ..will you consider travelling to
Vietnam regional ? or international ?
my Trusted Malaysia budget Air line did not give me a choice
to choose the insurance either Regional or International
Whose fault ?

The treatment took about 4 hours and I stay back in the
Hospital to accompany him ...my wife and other 2 kids proceed
their tour around Hanoi........

Picture taken outside the Hospital

Visit to Ho Chin Minh Complex

One Pillar Pagoda

Lunch

We have our lunch in one of the famous noddle shop in Hanoi

We started our journey to Halong Bay after lunch.....

Every thing don't seem to be moving smoothly....
our van having some problem half way to Halong.......
Every one of us was not in a good travelling mood :(
especially Sam Yew ( still not fully recover...)

We reached Halong Bay about 3.30 pm
Check in the Halong Pear Hotel

Pictures taken around the Hotel

Compliment from the Hotel...

DAY 6 19th March 2010

8 am -check out from Hotel

waiting to board our private boat (for my family only)

This is my private "BOAT " :)

Inside the Boat.....

Stop over at a floating Seafood market...
you can buy your favourite seafood and they will cook for you and serve
you for your lunch or dinner (for over night in the Boat)
.....$$$$$$.........I hold my pocket tight :)

We stay at the floating seafood market for a while..
we continue our cruise around the bay...

Waiting for Lunch...
My wife and the kids started a card game .....
Sam Yew still look very tired ...did not join them....
I was enjoying the cool air and beautiful surrounding ....

Sam Yew....
After a good rest in the boat and.....

HE IS BACK.....

ZZZZZ.......zzzzz

LUNCH in the boat...

Fun before lunch........

Our lunch....

after lunch ..the boat heading back to the ferry...
we have some shopping around the ferry ...
and say bye bye to Halong Bay...

We check into Orchid Hotel at the Old Quarter....

Pictures outside the Hotel

We were recommended to try the pig from the Village...they sound like "Le mong"
the pig from Hmong village...

This picture was taken during our tracking in Sapa